Charlton Heston has died

Charlton Heston who was an actor but latterly acted as President of the NRA until 2003 has died aged 84.

He often stood at the podium at conventions, holding an antique flintlock rifle above his head and telling gun-control advocates they would not get his gun unless they could pry it “from my cold, dead hands.”

He once stupidly campaigned for Democrats – Adlai Stevenson against Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy against Richard Nixon. But he switched to Republican Nixon in 1972 and sensibly backed old friend Ronald Reagan (the President ever) in the ex-actor’s quest for the presidency. Since then he was identified with conservative politics and causes.